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NASA lifts off cargo spacecraft named after Kalpana Chawla to International Space Station

A commercial cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station (ISS) launched on Thursday carrying the name of deceased NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman to enter space.

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A commercial cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station (ISS) launched on Thursday night carrying the name of deceased NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman to enter space, for her key contributions to human spaceflight.

The 'SS Kalpana Chawla' launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 09:38 pm EDT.

The spacecraft, a Northrop Grumman Cygnus, will arrive at and be attached to the space station two days later. On the NG-14 mission, the S.S. Kalpana Chawla will deliver approximately 3,630 kilograms of cargo to the station.

Research flying aboard the Cygnus includes the test of a biologic drug that could be used for the treatment of leukemia, a plant growth study that will cultivate radishes as a model for future crops in space, a compact toilet for astronauts to use on deep-space exploration missions and a 360-degree virtual reality camera that will be used to film during a spacewalk for an immersive cinematic production.

Robyn Gatens, acting director of the International Space Station at NASA headquarters, said that the flight is carrying 6,000 pounds of cargo including refined radishes and a 3D camera, that's going to go on the outside of the space station to take images when the crew is doing a spacewalk.

"Well, we've got a little bit of everything on this flight. We've got 6000 pounds of cargo going up. We have several things enabling future exploration missions, beyond the space station, so our missions to the moon and to Mars. Not only do we have the toilet, we have a component of our new spacesuit that we'll be testing in microgravity on the space station," Gatens said.

"We have an advanced particulate monitor to measure airborne particulates and several things than that. That's going to help us enable future exploration missions. We also have science experiments. So we have cancer research going on, on this on this flight rehab. We have refined radishes in our advanced plant habitats. And then we have outreach," Gatens added.

Melissa McKinley, NASA project manager for the universal waste management systems project, elaborated about the newly-designed toilet which was sent to the station on a cargo ship.

The toilet is "65% smaller and 40% lighter than the current toilet on ISS. If you think of it in terms of the toilet at your house, it's similar in size, except that it doesn't have a tank behind it," Mckinley said.

When the Kalpana Chawla spacecraft lifted off its launchpad atop a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, it marked a special moment for many, including Kalpana's husband.

"I would say that Kalpana would be very flattered that this rocket is named after her," said Jean Pierre Harrison.

In an interview, he further added that the launch event had a larger context. "Indians can compete with the rest of the world to be successful."

Northrop Grumman, an American global aerospace and defence technology company said that this mission is named after Chawla in memory of the mission specialist who died with her six crewmates aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 2003. It stated that it is proud to celebrate the life of Kalpana Chawla and her dream of flying through the air and in space.

"It is the company's tradition to name each Cygnus after an individual who has played a pivotal role in human spaceflight," said Northrop Grumman.

About Kalpana Chawla

Born in Haryana, India, Chawla moved to the United States to earn her master's and doctorate degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas in 1984 and the University of Colorado in 1988, respectively.

She then began her career at NASA, conducting research in fluid dynamics at the Ames Research Center in California. After becoming a naturalized US citizen, Chawla applied for and became a NASA astronaut as a member of "The Flying Escargot," NASA`s 15th class of trainees.

In 1997, she launched on STS-87, a 15-day shuttle mission that was dedicated to the science flying as part of the fourth United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4).

Chawla's second spaceflight, STS-107, came to a tragic end on February 1, 2003, following 16 days of conducting science onboard the space shuttle Columbia.

A small piece of foam that struck the orbiter's left wing during launch created a hole that went undetected during the mission.

Upon Columbia's return to Earth, hot plasma entered the wing, tearing it apart, and the resulting loss of control led to the vehicle disintegrating and the death of the crew.

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